This is a legacy page. The current version is here: Taxi Business and Regulation.
Regulation of Taxicabs
Selected reading on public policy related to taxis and taxi-like services, and a section of links to taxi regulators, industry groups and similar sites.
The Cost of Convenience from the Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, October 2018. "The arrival of ridesharing is associated with an increase of 2-3% in the number of motor vehicle fatalities and fatal accidents. This increase is not only for vehicle occupants, but also for pedestrians"
The Online Platform Economy in 2018 - Drivers, Workers, Sellers, and Lessors by JP Morgan Chase Institute, September 2018.
Draft San Francisco Medallion Reform Recommendations from SFMTA would recall 260 medallions, allow purchases by corporations, eliminate a transfer fee, provide financial support for wheelchair accessible cabs, and eliminate access to airport stands for non-purchased medallions. See also a more detailed presentation by SFMTA staff. August and September 2018.
An Earnings Standard for New York City’s App-Based Drivers: Economic Analysis and Policy Assessment by James A. Parrott and Michael Reich of the New School Center for New York City Affairs, June 2018.
Evaluation and Recommendations to Improve the Health of the Taxi Industry in San Francisco by PFM Group Consulting and Schaller Consulting, May 2018. The report recommends recalling hundreds of taxicab permits.
Uber State Interference: How Transportation Network Companies Buy, Bully, and Bamboozle Their Way To Deregulation by Joy Borkholder, Mariah Montgomery, Miya Saika Chen and Rebecca Smith. This January 2018 report from the National Employment Law Project provides in-depth case study analyses of TNC-caused political crises in Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. See also Uber’s Political Program in the States, an article describing the report.
Empty Seats, Full Streets - Fixing Manhattan's Traffic Problem by Schaller Consulting, December 2017.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has an updated briefing paper on insurance for Commercial Ride Sharing.
Guiding Principles for Emerging Mobility Services & Technology from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority is to "serve as a framework when developing policies and programs for emerging mobility services and for consistent responses to new technologies and transportation services." August 2017
- The San Francisco County Transportation Agency report TNCs Today: A Profile of San Francisco Transportation Network Company Activity found a significant increase in congestion due to TNCs. June 2017.
The Harvard Business Review published Benjamin Edelman's essay Uber Can't Be Fixed - It's Time for Regulators to Shut It Down, June 2017
- The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg issued a press release in May 2017 advising that Uber is a transportation company, not an information society, and is thus subject to European transport regulation.
Streetsblog Denver reported on a Ph.D. dissertation by Alejandro Henao that shows increased traffic. Impacts of Ridesourcing - Lyft and Uber - on Transportation including VMT, Mode Replacement, Parking, and Travel Behavior
- University of Washington School of Law Research Paper The Taking Economy: Uber, Information, and Power by Ryan Calo and Alex Rosenblat was published in the Columbia Law Review. March 2017
Unsustainable? The Growth of App-Based Ride Services and Traffic, Travel and the Future of New York City from Schaller Consulting, February 2017. "Findings are based on trip and mileage data that are uniquely available in New York City, providing the most detailed and comprehensive assessment of these new services in any U.S. city."
Illinois Transportation Trade Association v City of Chicago, US Court of Appeals decision October 7, 2016
Joe Sanfilippo Cabs Inc v City of Milwaukee, US Court of Appeals decision October 7, 2016
2016 Taxicab and Limousine Commision Factbook from New York City.
City of Chicago Uniform Taxi Lease Agreement 2016
Unfinished Business: A Blueprint for Uber, Lyft and Taxi Regulation "The report "makes recommendations designed to achieve core public policy goals of service, safety, competition and equity, while fairly balancing competing interests of companies, drivers, customers and cities themselves." September 2016 from Schaller Consulting
The Expanding Transportation Network Company “Equity Gap:” Adverse Impacts on Passengers with Disabilities, Underserved Communities, the Environment & the On-Demand Workforce. Report by Matthew Daus published by the University Transportation Research Center of The City College of New York. September 2016.
The American Journal of Epidemiology published Uber and Metropolitan Traffic Fatalities in the United States by Noli Brazil and David Kirk. "We found that the deployment of Uber services in a given metropolitan county had no association with the number of subsequent traffic fatalities, whether measured in aggregate or specific to drunk-driving fatalities or fatalities during weekends and holidays."
San Francisco and Los Angeles District Attorneys announced a $25 million settlement with Uber and a permanent injunction prohibiting the company from making misleading statements regarding the safety of its transportation services or the background checks of its drivers. The December 2014 complaint in California Superior Court alleged misrepresentations regarding background checks, improper use of an app to measure distance for fare calculation, and unlawful operation at airports. See also the DAs' First Amended Complaint, August 2015.
Worker Cooperative Industry Research Series: Taxis by Tim Palmer, published by the Democracy at Work Institute. 2015
Ridesharing or Ridestealing? Changes in Taxi Ridership and Revenue in Los Angeles 2009-2014 is a Policy Brief from the UCLA Labor Center, July 2015.
US Department of Labor Administrator Interpretation on the identification of employees misclassified as independent contractors. The interpretation expands the number of workers who are employees. July 2015.
A July 2015 decision from the California Public Utilities Commission found Uber subsidiary Rasier-CA in contempt, assessed a $7.3 million fine and ordered a suspension of its permit to operate in California. In August, Rasier-CA appealed the fine and suspension. See the CPUC Proceeding Page for updated filings.
Monograph in the MPA Newsletter of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, One Standard for All: Criminal Background Checks for Taxicab, For-Hire, and Transportation Network Company Drivers by CUNY professors Matthew Daus and Pasqualino Russo, May 2015.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners issued a report:Transportation Network Company Insurance Principles for Legislators and Regulators. March 2015.
The Late Night Transportation Working Group is a San Francisco effort to improve regional late night transit options, especially for workers in the entertainment and hotel industries, many of whom begin or end work in the hours after midnight. The working group's February 2015 report The Other 9 to 5 includes three taxi-related recommendations: app-based shared taxi rides; pop-up cab stands in nightlife districts; and subsidized taxi rides for low-income workers.
The US District Court opinion and order in Callahan v City of Chicago stated: "While it is unfortunate that Callahan did not earn from taxicab driving as much money as she would have liked, the City of Chicago is not obligated to make up the difference. The City is not her employer ...". The February 2013 suit charged the City of Chicago with violations of minimum wage and fair labor standards. January 2015
2015 Opinion in US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit suit Alexander vs FedEx in which drivers were determined to be misclassified employees.
The San Francisco Taxicab Workers Alliance prepared a white paper, San Francisco Can and Should Regulate Taxi-Like Ride Services, presented to SFMTA 2015. The paper cites sections of the California Public Utilities and Vehicle codes that allow some regulation by local agencies even when the state has exercised primary jurisdiction.
A cease and desist order from the South Carolina Public Service Commission to Uber for illegal operation was followed the next day by a letter on behalf of Uber from the governor expressing "intense disappointment" with the Public Service Commission. January 2015.
IATR's Proposed Model Regulations: Accessible Taxicabs and For-Hire Vehicles, September 2014.
Letter from US Senator Al Franken to Lyft regarding privacy practices. A similar letter was sent to Uber. December 2014
In November 2014 Uber ignited a firestorm of outrage when its senior vice president Emil Michael suggested that the company spend a million dollars to dig up dirt on journalists who are unfriendly to Uber. His words were seen as focused on journalist Sarah Lacey who had previously criticized the company for sexism and misogyny. The comments spawned hundreds of news reports, key among them being the initial article by BuzzFeedNews editor Ben Smith which was viewed more than 700,000 times and the reaction from PandoDaily editor Sarah Lacey.
An Uber controversy regarding customer privacy erupted in November when senior executive Josh Mohrer used the company's GodView technology to track the movements of journalist Johana Bhuiyan.
Cease and desist letter from Broward County in Florida to Uber. November 2014
District Attorneys in Los Angeles and San Francisco issued a joint letter regarding ongoing violations of law to Sidecar, and similar letters to Uber and Lyft. The letters cite violations of the California Business and Professions Code, and state that the companies' unlawful practices are a threat to consumers and the public. September 2014.
Administrative Law Judges for the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission issued two Recommended Decisions, A-2014-2424608 and A-2014-2416127, stating that Uber should not be granted permits to operate in the state because of its willful failure to comply with lawful orders and because it has not demonstrated a commitment to protecting the public. September 2014.
Australia's Competition Policy Review panel released a Draft Report in September 2014 that calls for overhaul of regulation in the taxi industry, among numerous other industries.
Researchers from MIT and other institutions examined data on 150 million NYC taxi rides and found vast potential for greater efficiency through app-based shared ride trips. Their report, Quantifying the benefits of vehicle pooling with shareability networks is available for free download from PNAS - September 2014.
A report from UC Berkeley, App-Based On-Demand Ride Services: Comparing Taxi and Ridesourcing Trips and User Characteristics In San Francisco, concludes that UberX, Lyft, etc. have much faster response times than San Francisco taxicabs. However the authors used different methodologies for taxis and ride services, and did not compare taxi apps with ride service apps. August 2014.
New York State sent a cease and desist letter to Lyft in August 2014.
The City of Chicago hired Nelson-Nygaard to review the city's taxi industry. Taxi Fare Rate Study - Final Report estimates that drivers earn about $12 per hour. August 2014.
NYC Taxis: A Day in the Life This visualization displays the data for one random NYC yellow taxi on a single day in 2013. See where it operated, how much money it made, and how busy it was over 24 hours.
San Francisco online journal 48Hills published: Uber’s tax-avoidance strategy costs government millions. How’s that for “sharing?” July 2014.
NBC took a critical look at San Francisco taxis: Badly Behaving San Francisco Taxi Cab Drivers Face Few Consequences July 2014.
New York State's Department of Financial Services issued a cease-and-desist demand to Lyft and then sought a court injunction barring Lyft from operations in New York. July 8, 2014.
California PUC President Michael Peevey wrote a letter to Uber's Travis Kalanick expressing his disappointment over Uber's flouting of CPUC regulations, June 10, 2014.
San Francisco Budget and Legislative Analyst report Impact of Transportation Network Companies in San Francisco identifies problems and offers a range of regulatory options. June 2014.
Taxicab Paratransit Association of California Comments, Appendix to Comments, Reply Comments, and Request for Official Notice of attached documents and exhibits: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I
United Taxicab Workers Comments, Exhibits, and Reply Comments
San Francisco Cab Drivers' Association Comments, Exhibits and Reply Comments
City and County of San Francisco Comments and Reply Comments on behalf of SFO Airport and SFMTA
Attorney Chris Dolan Comments and Follow-up Comments on behalf of deceased pedestrian Sofia Liu and her family
Summon formerly known as InstantCab
The Law Commission issued its May 2014 report Taxi and Private Hire Services with recommendations for national regulation of many aspects of taxi and private-hire operations in England and Wales. Among documents from the Law Commission report are the full report, a summary of recommendations and (extracted from the full report) the proposed Bill to be submitted to Parliament. Recommendations include: uniform standards for drivers, vehicles and dispatch services throughout England and Wales including London; disability awareness training for drivers; new legal definitions of taxi and private hire service; freeing up cross-border work for private hire; local licensing and enforcement; additional local authority regarding taxis including fare-setting, optional additional standards, and the option to place a limit on the numbers of taxis.
San Francisco International Airport letter to California Public Utilities Commission regarding illegal operation of commercial rideshare vehicles, and related report to SFO Airport Commission, May 9, 2014.
An NBC investigation into "rideshare" background checks appeared in three different reports from Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The reports found that lax background checks by Uber led to the hiring of unsuitable drivers.
City of Houston Taxi Study Results from January 2014, and the April 9, 2014 presentations of Dr. Ray Mundy and Dr. James Cooper to the Joint Public Safety and Transportation Council Committees.
The California Public Utilities Commission will conduct a rehearing on certain parts of its September 2013 Decision on Transportation Network Companies. Issues to be reviewed include insurance, drug testing, commercial license plates, and the status of Uber as a TNC. The rehearing is in response to requests filed in October 2013 by the Taxicab Paratransit Association of California and by Uber Technologies. (Note that this item is different from the Request for Comments on Proposed Modifications described in the block below.)
Taxicab Paratransit Association of California with attachments one and two
United Taxicab Workers of San Francisco
City and County of San Francisco on behalf of SFMTA and SFO
Attorney Chris Dolan on behalf of deceased pedestrian Sofia Liu and her family
Luxor Cab of San Francisco
Summon formerly known as InstantCab
Former Mayor Willie Brown on behalf of Wingz, formerly known as Tickengo
KQED in San Francisco published a report on TNC safety and inspections: What UberX Drivers Are Saying About Their Training and Safety Issues February 20, 2014. The report found that vehicle inspections consisted of merely emailing a photo of the vehicle.
Toronto Taxicab Industry Review - Final Report January 2014.
Ang Jiang Liu et al vs Uber Technologies et al is a lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court following the death of young pedestrian Sophia Liu.
California Department of Insurance Notice to Transportation Network Company Drivers advising of potential gaps in insurance coverage, January 2014.
New York City 2014 Taxicab Fact Book.
The Boston Taxi Consultant's Report issued October 2013 offers a refreshing view of driver earnings. Full time drivers make $60,000 annually according to Nelson/Nygaard. See also the 381 page Appendix to the report.
Model Regulations: Smartphone Application Technology for Taxicabs and Limousines provides a menu of options for local regulators to consider in the regulation of smartphone apps. Issued September 23, 2013 in St. Louis by the International Association of Transportation Regulators.
The California Public Utilities Commission issued its Decision Adopting Rules and Regulations To Protect Public Safety While Allowing New Entrants To The Transportation Industry on September 23, 2013 in San Francisco. Commercial "rideshare" operators such as Lyft, Sidecar and UberX will be awarded a new class of permit as "Transportation Network Companies." The regulations are largely self-enforced and allow TNCs to dispatch an unlimited number of non-commercial personal cars in commercial for-hire passenger service. TNC drivers do not need a for-hire permit. Applications for a rehearing of the decision were filed on October 23 by Uber and by the Taxicab Paratransit Association of California.
Passenger transport in isolated communities is written evidence to the UK Parliament Transport Select Committee from Samuel Fisher's Fare Enough campaign regarding working conditions of for-hire drivers in northern UK communities. According to the testimony, a private hire driver often earns no more than £2.00 per hour for a 50 hour week. Prepared September 23, 2013.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation issued cease-and-desist orders on June 24, 2013 to Uber, Lyft and Sidecar.
In June, District of Columbia Councilmember Mary M. Cheh sent a letter in support of Uber to the DC Taxi Commission. Three days later the Federal Trade Commission sent a similar letter in support of Uber to the DC Taxi Commission.
Professor Alan Fels conducted a Taxi Industry Inquiry for the Victoria (Australia) government which started in March 2011 and was completed in December 2012. In May 2013 the Victorian government accepted most of the recommendations. The reforms to be implemented include leases of taxi permits by the Victorian Taxi Directorate for $20,000 per year without a cap on the number of permits, and a 55% minimum split of meter revenues for taxicab drivers.
Matt Daus and law firm Windels Marx released a report on unlicensed commercial ride services titled Ridesharing Applications: Illegal Hitchhiking For-Hire or Sustainable Group Riding? A Legal and Policy Primer for Ground Transportation Regulation. (May 2013)
The Austin (Texas) Transportation Department prepared a Rideshare Report for the Mayor and City Council issued on May 31, 2013. The report examined rideshare regulations in other places and includes the results of the department's own investigation of commercial rideshare operations in Austin.
The Center on Policy Initiatives of San Diego State University issued a May 2013 report titled Driven to Despair: A Survey of San Diego Taxi Drivers. Based on self-reporting, the study says that drivers make less than $5 per hour.
In April 2013 the Colorado Supreme Court reversed a district court ruling affirming the denial of Mile High Cab's application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. The case was remanded to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. A Recommended Decision was issued December 10, 2013.
- Uber
- Zimride (Lyft)
- Sidecar
- Willie Brown for Tickengo
- Matt Daus for International Association of Transportation Regulators with an accompanying cover letter
- San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
- San Francisco International Airport
- Personal Insurance Federation of California
- Taxicab Paratransit Association of California
- Greater California Limousine Association
- Center for Accessible Technology
- Transform
- Luxor Cab
- United Taxicab Workers with attachments one and two
- San Francisco Cab Drivers Association with attachments one, two and three
- An investigative essay by blog writer Ed Healy.
- Electronic Freedom Foundation
- California Highway Patrol
- California Insurance Commissioner
Kareem Haggag and Giovanni Paci authored a discussion paper for the Department of Economics at Columbia University titled Default Tips. The March 2013 study examined 13 million credit card transactions in New York City taxicabs. The authors determined that the default tips suggested to passengers on rear-seat terminals have a large impact on tip amounts. Generally tip amounts are higher, but the authors "highlight a potential cost of setting defaults too high, as a higher proportion of customers opt to leave no credit card tip when presented with the higher suggested amounts."
A lawsuit pitting Taxicab Companies versus the Philadelphia Parking Authority was decided in favor of the cab companies who said that the PPA exceeded its fee-setting authority. From the decision: "Because Section 5707(b) confers autocratic power upon the Philadelphia Parking Authority to condemn property without due process, it offends the due process provisions of the Pennsylvania and United States Constitutions." (February 2013)
Matt Daus and law firm Windels Marx in conjunction with the International Association of Transportation Regulators released "Proposed Model Regulations for Smartphone Applications in the For-Hire Industry". (November 2012)
In November the California Public Utilities Commission issued citations and $20,000 fines to unlicensed passenger carriers Uber, Sidecar and Lyft for "public safety violations." The actions follow on cease-and-desist notices to Sidecar and Lyft in August 2012 and a cease-and-desist notice to Uber from the CPUC's Consumer Safety and Protection Division in October 2010.
The Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association released a Rouge App Media Briefer in September 2012 outlining problems with taxi-like services using smartphone apps outside of taxicab regulations. Also in September, the New York City TLC issued an Industry Notice advising that smartphone apps are not approved for use in New York City taxicabs.
In an August 2012 decision by Judge Arthur Engoron, the Supreme Court of New York State ruled against New York City's plan to expand hail cab service to outer boroughs. The ruling was based in part on Mayor Michael Bloomberg's failure to get city council approval for the plan. The lawsuit that led to the decision is Taxicab Service Association vs Bloomberg. The plaintiff is an association of credit union lenders that finance yellow taxi medallions. Update: Judge Engoron's decision was overturned in June 2013 by the New York State Court of Appeals on the grounds that the outer borough taxi plan was not a merely local issue. "Efficient transportation services in the state's largest city and international center of commerce is important to the entire state." The June 2013 ruling opens the door to issuance of 16,000 hail-cab permits in the boroughs and 2,000 wheelchair accessible yellow cab medallions.
Windels Marx has published a new report entitled "Rogue" Smartphone Applications for Taxicabs and Limousines: Innovation or Unfair Competition? The report is a "national regulatory review of safety, accountability and consumer protection legal issues" authored by Matthew W. Daus, a Partner and Chair of the Transportation group, with the assistance of the group's lawyers and staff, including Special Counsel Pasqualino Russo, a former NYC TLC Chief Judge. (June 2012)
The US Court of Appeals decision Christopher Noel versus New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission states that the Americans with Disabilities Act "does not obligate the TLC to use its licensing and regulatory authority over the New York City taxi industry to require that taxi owners provide meaningful access to taxis for persons with disabilities." (June 2012)
Louisiana Senate Bill 639 elevates to first-degree murder the killing of a taxicab driver. The law was signed by the Governor June 7, 2012 and becomes effective August 1, 2012.
In The Driver's Seat: Achieving justice for taxi drivers in Victoria is a June 2012 report that documents the work of the Taxi Driver Legal Clinic, a joint project conducted by the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Victoria, Australia) and Footscray Community Legal Centre. It recommends that the Victorian Government should prohibit the use of bailment agreements in the taxi industry.
A Taxi Industry Inquiry was conducted for the Victorian State Government by Prof. Allan Fels. The comprehensive review was completed in 2013. Its final report, titled Customers First: Service, Safety, Choice, provides 600+ pages of background and recommendations for overhaul of taxi regulation.
Reforming the law of taxi and private hire services is the May 2012 summary report by the Law Commission (UK). A key recommendation is to prevent local transportation regulators from limiting the number of taxis in their jurisdictions. More detail can be found in the full report and in the impact assessment.
Preliminary Findings, Taxi Driver Labor Market Study: Long Hours, Low Wages, is a January 2012 report from the City of Portland (Oregon) Revenue Bureau, Office of Management and Finance. The report was prepared at the request of the Mayor in response to a permit application for a driver-owned taxi company. The applicants cited poor economic and working conditions. The report is notable for its methodology, which extends beyond self-reporting of driver earnings.
Germantown Cab Company vs Philadelphia Parking Authority is a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision of January 20, 2012 that constrains the PPA by requiring the agency to follow statutory rulemaking procedures generally applicable to Commonwealth agencies.
Charles Komanoff argues that adding one more taxi is the traffic equivalent of adding 40 more cars to New York City's Central Business District. See his work on 2,000 New Medallion Taxicabs which includes a link to a spreadsheet model. He presented his case in a January 20, 2012 article More taxis mean more traffic.
- Local and State Partnerships with Taxicab Companies (2012) This research was undertaken for the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to identify how states and local governments can best promote partnerships with taxicab companies for provision of public transportation.
- Santa Monica Taxi Study: Executive Summary, a 2008 report for the City of Santa Monica, California. The study reviewed the city's open-entry taxi system. See also the full report.
French v QBE Insurance, decision by the Supreme Court of Queensland awarding substantial damages following the death of a very drunk taxi passenger who was hit by a car after being let out at the wrong address. Extract from the decision: "The very reason that Mr Crouch was in the taxi, the reason that he was in Mr Earea's care, was that he was not capable of looking after his own safety or finding his own way home. Mr Earea must have realised this when he accepted the hiring. Had he turned an objective mind to the question he would have realised that if he delivered Mr Crouch to the wrong address (and not into anyone's care), there was a substantial likelihood that Mr Crouch would wander onto the carriageway and be hit by a vehicle."
San Antonio Taxi and Horse Drawn Carriage Study by Dr. Ray Mundy, October 2010.
Mile High Cab of Denver was denied its application for 150 new taxi permits. The Colorado PUC decision by ALJ Paul Gomez in July 2010 was appealed, and then sent back to the ALJ. See also the exceptions and appendices by Mile High's attorney Tom Russell.
The Taxi Industry: On the Road to Reform, August 2010 report by the Montreal Economic Institute. (335kb PDF)
Driving Austin, Driving Injustice is a February 2010 report on the working conditions of taxi drivers in Austin, Texas. It is published by Legal Assistance to Micro-Enterprises, a project of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. The report depends on self-reporting for its findings that the average driver makes $2.75 an hour and works 12 hours a day, 6.5 days a week, 51.5 weeks per year. (3.5MB PDF)
The Taxi Drivers' Guide to Defending Yourself in Austin Traffic Court is a 2010 publication of Legal Assistance to Micro-Enterprises, a project of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. (224KB PDF)
Medallion Reforms in San Francisco adopted February 2010 by the Municipal Transportation Agency. The reforms allow for the sale at a fixed price of a limited number of taxicab medallions by the city and by medallion holders who are disabled or who are over 70 years old. (125KB PDF)
Taxi! Urban economies and the social and transport Impacts of the taxicab by Cooper, J. A., Mundy, R. A. & Nelson, J. D. See the table of contents.
California Employment Development Department Information Sheet for the Taxicab Industry, November 2009. "The purpose of this information sheet is to provide guidance to the taxicab industry on properly classifying workers for employment tax purposes." Three-page document revised July 2003 and based on the 1991 "Santa Cruz" decision.
Who Owns Taxi Licences? Exclusive Taxi Licences and Transparency, a report by David Seymour of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Regina, Saskatchewan. September 2009
Dispatching Injustice: Cab Drivers' Struggle In Prince George's County (Maryland) is a July 2009 report by the "Advancement Project" in partnership with Prince George's County Taxi Workers Alliance. The report analyzes industry structure and recommends regulatory changes to improve opportunities for taxi drivers.
An overhaul of taxi regulation in San Francisco commenced in 2009. See the Municipal Transportation Agency's MTA Taxi website for links to documents under review, including a re-write of taxi rules and various proposals to revise the medallion system.
In March, University of Illinois Professor Robert Bruno released a 2008 report titled Driven Into Poverty: A Comprehensive Study of the Chicago Taxicab Industry. The study uses self-reporting by drivers (not taximeter statistics) to determine driver earnings. According to the report, a full-time owner-driver who is paying off a $140,000 medallion earns just 56-cents an hour, including tips, for a total net income of $3,425 a year. Shift-lease drivers working 70-hours a week earn just $4.07 an hour, or less than $12,000 a year before taxes. The report suffers from apparent errors in arithmetic such as the table on page 12. A short version of the report is available as an Executive Summary.
Economic Review of the Small Public Service Vehicle Industry prepared by Goodbody Economic Consultants for the Commission for Taxi Regulation in March 2009. This is a study of the effects of open-entry deregulation in Ireland between 2000 and 2008. The number of taxis in Dublin rose from 2,759 to 12,568 (an increase of 355%) while the number of taxi rides increased by just 82%. The Goodbody Review was rejected by transport regulators and precipitated a national work stoppage by taxi operators. In May 2009, LHM Casey McGrath (a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants) prepared a Critical Evaluation and Review of the Goodbody study.
Flyer by United Taxicab Drivers Corp. urging Nevada taxicab drivers to demand enforcement of the minimum wage requirement.
Summary judgment regarding disabled medallion holders in US District Court, June 2008, affirming the City of San Francisco's policy that driving as an Essential Eligibility Requirement does not violate a disabled medallion holder's rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The decision was appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Santa Monica Taxi Study: Executive Summary, a 2008 report for the City of Santa Monica, California. The study reviewed the city's open-entry taxi system. See also the 80-page full report.
Taxi '07: Roads Forward, a comprehensive 150-page vision for New York City taxis in the next decade. This beautifully illustrated book in PDF format is another outstanding taxi publication from the Design Trust for Public Space produced in conjunction with the Taxicab and Limousine Commission. Highly recommended.
Toronto Taxi Drivers: Ambassadors of the City, A Report on Working Conditions by Sara Abraham, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and Aparna Sundar, Assistant Professor at Ryerson University, with Dale Whitmore, student at York University. The report drew attention for its determination that shift drivers earn less than three dollars an hour.
January 2008 US Court of Appeals decision in NLRB vs Friendly Cab determining that drivers at an Oakland (California) taxi company are employees for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act. (111KB pdf)
- An Overview of the San Francisco Taxi Industry and Proposition K prepared November 2007 by Heidi Machen and Jordanna Thigpen for the Taxi Commission's working group on Charter Reform.
The European OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) conducted a 2007 Policy Roundtable on Taxi Services: Competition and Regulation. The report recommends open entry based on economic arguments and on the experiences of some places that adopted open entry policies. (1.8MB pdf)
Illegal limousines soliciting passengers at San Francisco International Airport and at Fisherman's Wharf, videos that originally aired on KRON's "People Behaving Badly" series by reporter Stanley Roberts.
- San Francisco's Taxi Dispatch Service: Improving Reliability and Response from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, May 2007 report suggesting a surcharge on dispatch orders. (2.7 megabyte PDF)
- Taxicab Industry Report - May 2007 Review of taxicab industry with recommendations on taxicab rates of fare and gate fees due to the proposed addition of 50 taxi medallions (25 ramp and 25 CNG/Alternative fuel)
- Taxicab Industry Report - August 2006, a review of the taxicab industry with recommendations on taxicab rates of fare and gate fees. (302 KB)
- 2005 Taxi Commission Survey Report - February 8, 2006, summary report of the results of the Taxi Commission Survey conducted by the Controller's Office in October/November 2005. (140 KB)
- Taxicab Industry Report with Addendum - December 2005, a review of the taxicab industry with recommendations on taxicab rates of fare and gate fees. (140 KB)
- Taxi Driver Survey Summary Findings - April 2004, descriptive statistics of San Francisco's taxi driver population that can be used by policymakers and other interested parties. (6.5 MB)
- San Francisco Taxi Drivers Health Benefits Report - October 2003. This report was prepared in response to Ordinance Number 228-02, which requires the Controller to submit a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors by October 1, 2003 for enactment of a program that would make health insurance or health benefits available to all taxi drivers. (816 KB)
- Taxicab Industry Long-Term Lease Report - October 2003, Controller's report to the Board of Supervisors regarding long-term lease fee caps. (1.8 MB)
- Proposition J of June 1978 competed with Prop K but lost. Proposition K of June 1978 won with almost 51% of the vote (80,570 yes and 77,481 no votes). These documents include the official ballot statements and the published arguments pro-and-con. See also the complete legal text of Propositions J and K.
- Proposition M of November 1979 sought to restore transferability of permits. This document includes the official ballot statement and the published arguments pro-and-con. See also the complete legal text of the proposition.
- Proposition P of November 1981 sought to repeal Prop K and transfer regulation to the Board of Supervisors. This document includes the official ballot statement and the published arguments pro-and-con. See also the complete legal text of the proposition.
- Proposition P of November 1988 sought to repeal Prop K, but would have retained key elements such as non-transferability of permits. This document includes the official ballot statement and the complete legal text. See also the paid arguments pro-and-con that were published along with the proposition.
- Proposition Y of November 1993 sought, among other things, to increase the number of permits and add new types of permits. This document contains the ballot statement, the arguments pro-and-con, and the complete legal text.
- Proposition I of November 1995 was a bid by United Taxicab Workers to place a limit on cab rental fees (gate control) and to establish a centralized dispatch system. This document contains the ballot statement and the arguments pro-and-con. See also the complete legal text of the measure.
- Proposition J of November 1996 would have allowed the sale of permits, established gate control and limited permits to drivers with at least five years experience. It would also have allowed for a type of part-time permit. This document includes the ballot statement, the arguments pro-and-con, and the complete legal text. (1.25MB)
- Proposition D of November 1998 established the Taxi Commission. It was the only taxi-related ballot measure to pass after Prop K in 1978. This document includes the ballot statement, the arguments pro-and-con, and the complete legal text.
- Proposition M of November 2000 would have authorized the issuance of various kinds of special purpose taxi permits, and allow them to be issued to more than a single individual. Prop M would also have set 800 hours as an annual driving or operating requirement. This document includes the ballot statement, the arguments pro-and-con, and the complete legal text. (1.2MB)
- Proposition N of November 2003 was a bid by PDA (now known as the Medallion Holders Association) to prevent revocation of permits due to disability. This document includes the ballot statement, the arguments pro-and-con, and the complete legal text. (3.9MB)
-
Proposition A of 2007 passed by a vote of 80,786 to 64,346 (55.6% to 44.4%.) See the official ballot statement with arguments pro-and-con, and the full text of the measure.
The measure relates to the Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees the Municipal Railway and the Department of Parking and Traffic. It contains the following section, which provides a framework for revamping taxi regulation in San Francisco.
"The Board of Supervisors shall have the power, by ordinance, to abolish the Taxi Commission created in Section 4.133, and to transfer the powers and duties of that commission to the Agency under the direction of the Director of Transportation or his or her designee the Board of Directors. In order to fully integrate taxi-related functions into the Agency should such a transfer occur, the Agency shall have the same exclusive authority over taxi-related functions and taxi-related fares, fees, charges, budgets, and personnel that it has over the Municipal Railway and parking and traffic fares, fees, charges, budgets, and personnel. Once adopted, Agency regulations shall thereafter supercede all previously-adopted ordinances governing motor vehicles for hire that conflict with or duplicate such regulations."
The transfer to the MTA from the Taxi Commission happened in March 2009. Regulation moved into the hands of the Municipal Transportation Agency's Division of Taxis and Accessible Services. Numerous substantive changes have followed, notably a pilot program for the sale and transfer of taxicab medallions.
- Entry Controls in Taxi Regulation: Policy Implications of U.S. and Canadian Experience (September 2006)
- New York City 2006 Taxi and Livery Fact Books
- The Taxi Vehicle in the Ideal Taxi System (2005)
- Passenger and Driver Focus Group Reports on TLC Technology Enhancements (2005)
- The Changing Face of Taxi and Limousine Drivers in the U.S., Large States and Metro Areas and New York City (2004)
- Taxi and Livery Crashes in New York City, 2004
- Higher Pay, Safer Cabbies, 2004 report
A flyer by United Taxicab Drivers Corp. urging Nevada taxicab drivers to demand enforcement of a minimum wage requirement.
MasterCard And VeriFone Put PayPass in Philadelphia Taxis, article in Digital Transactions
The Job-creating Potential of the Metered Taxi Industry in South Africa's Urban Areas: Some Preliminary Findings by Sandra Lowitt, Research Associate, Employment Growth and Development Initiative, Human Sciences Research Council. (426KB pdf)
The Los Angeles Taxi Workers Alliance, a 2009 paper from University of California Transportation Center by Jacqueline Leavitt and Gary Blasi.
Trailer for a 2008 video on the theme of Driving Poor in Los Angeles by Aman G.Fesehaye.
Driving Poor: Taxi Drivers and the Regulation of the Taxi Industry in Los Angeles by Professors Gary Blasi and Jacqueline Leavitt of UCLA. (460kb PDF)
Entry Controls in Taxi Regulation: Policy Implications of U.S. and Canadian Experience, from Schaller Consulting September 2006
The San Francisco Taxicab Industry: An Equity Analysis, June 2006 report prepared for SF Mayor Gavin Newsom and SF Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, from The Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. The Executive Summary to the 45-page report states in part: "We believe a system permitting the sale of medallions (transferability) would provide a more equitable and improved taxicab industry if implemented within specific structural parameters." (477kb PDF document).
Establishing a San Francisco Taxi Driver Health Care Coverage Program: Administration, Cost, and Funding Options. March 2006 report from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, 110 pages, 726KB pdf, complete with detailed actuarial analysis. An existing city-sponsored San Francisco Health Plan is proposed as the administrator. Drivers would pay $80 a month plus modest co-pays for services. The report examines funding options for the rest of the estimated $9-16 million annual cost.
Taxi Fact Book for 2006, New York City reference by Bruce Schaller
The State of the NYC Taxi, March 2006 overview by a TLC Commissioner. This nicely illustrated report gives the numbers and ages of the various model vehicles used as medallion cabs, their inspection pass-or-fail rates, and information on hybrid and accessible vehicles. NYC now has over 80 livery and medallion cabs that are hybrid vehicles. (1.24MB pdf document)
Taxi Availability Study For PCN Determination prepared for the San Francisco Taxicab Commission January 2006 by Q2 Research.
Do Economists Reach a Conclusion on Taxi Deregulation?, January 2006 article in Econ Journal Watch reviews "the judgements of economists who have written substantively on taxi regulation." (360kb PDF document).
8 Keys to Keeping Taxi Issues From Becoming a Political Hot Potato by Bruce Schaller, originally published in Taxi, Livery and Paratransit Association Taxicab newsletter, August 2005.
The Taxi Vehicle in the Ideal Taxi System by Bruce Schaller
Effectiveness of Controls Over the Taxi Industry, June 2005 report by the New Zealand Controller and Auditor-General. The 136-page report is critical of enforcement by regulators under an open entry policy that began about 15 years ago, and especially since 1997 when a similarly critical report was issued. A special concern is keeping unfit people out of the business. Deregulation in New Zealand led to approximately a tripling in the number of cabs and a ten-fold increase in the number of drivers. The report includes 61 recommendations for tightening control over the industry. (2.9MB pdf document)
"To Insure Prejudice: Racial Disparities in Taxicab Tipping," article by Ian Ayres, Fredrick E. Vars and Nasser Zakariya in the Yale Law Journal, Vol. 114, 2005. Download the paper for free from Social Science Research Network. The authors analyzed data on more than 1000 tips to taxicab drivers in New Haven, Connecticut in 2001 and found significant differences based on the race of both driver and passenger.
"Local Exclusive Cruising Regulation and Efficiency in Taxicab Markets" by Daniel Flores-Guri in the Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, May 2005. "This paper shows that substituting metropolitan regulations for municipal ones can benefit consumers without hurting producers. The theoretical results are applied to the taxicab market in the adjacent cities of Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts." Available for sale, or read the abstract only
The World Bank, Washington, DC published Regulation of Taxi Markets in Developing Countries: Issues and Options, a February 2005 paper by Kenneth M. Gwilliam which examines the reasons why fares tend to rise when taxi markets are deregulated.
Toronto Taxi Alliance Inc. v. Toronto (City), February 2005 decision overturning bylaws that would have shifted ownership of taxi licenses away from corporations and toward owner-drivers. See the 1998 section below for the Report to Review the Toronto Taxi Industry that is referenced in this decision.
A Regression Model of the Number of Taxicabs in U.S. Cities by Bruce Schaller "identifies three primary demand factors: the number of workers commuting by subway, the number of households with no vehicles available, and the number of airport taxi trips." January 2005 report, 204kb PDF document.
Passenger and Driver Focus Group Reports on TLC Technology Enhancements by Bruce Schaller 2005
Federal Magistrates Court of Australia, December 2004 decision in Ball vs Silver Top Taxi, a discrimination suit regarding disabled passengers.
Federal Magistrates Court of Australia, May 2004 decision in Sailor vs Village Taxi Cabs Pty Ltd and Markwick, a racial discrimination suit.
"Occupational and personal factors associated with acquired lumbar spondylolisthesis of urban taxi drivers" by J-C Chen1, W P Chan, J N Katz, W P Chang and D C Christiani. Article in Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2004;61:992-998. Read online or download as a 120kb PDF from OEM Online.
Competition Bureau charges St. John's taxi companies with conspiracy, Ottawa, July 9, 2004
Regulating Supply in Taxi Markets, a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the MSc in Economic Regulation and Competition, by Dr Benedikt Koehler, City University (London) September 2004. See also the brief abstract and a spreadsheet that models supply, and the author's notes on using the spreadsheet.
California Assembly Bill, AB 2591, regulating limousines, adopted September 2004; intended to curb abuses whereby state-regulated limousines operate as de facto taxicabs.
NLRB decision 342-130, 2004 resolution of a dispute between NYC taxi fleet owners and SEIU Local 74 (123k PDF)
"Can you get there from here?: How the Law Still Threatens King's Dream" article in Law and Equality, Vol. 22, 2004 discusses taxicab regulations as a powerful tool in the hands of segregationists. Also available at SSRN (24kb PDF)
The Changing Face of Taxi and Limousine Drivers in the U.S., Large States and Metro Areas and New York City by Schaller Consulting 2004
Taxi and Livery Crashes in New York City, 2004 from Schaller Consulting
Higher Pay, Safer Cabbies, An Analysis of the Relationship Between Driver Incomes and Taxi Crashes in New York City, from Schaller Consulting, January 2004 (92k PDF)
Unfare: Taxi Drivers and the Cost of Moving the City is a September 2003 report by the Community Development Project of the Urban Justice Center prepared for the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. The report uses self-reporting as the basis for its finding that drivers' average take-home pay is $22.14 per day.
Predicting health outcomes and safety behaviour in taxi drivers, 2003 paper by M. Anthony Machin and Jillian M. D. De Souza at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. From the abstract: "This research projects integrates the various factors that influence the safety behaviour, physical health and emotional well-being of taxi drivers into a theoretical model that shows hazards, perceptions of risk-taking, aggression, and drivers' perceptions of management's commitment to health and safety as directly influencing physical health, emotional well-being, and safety behaviour of taxi drivers." (285kb PDF)
The regulation of licensed taxi and PHV services in the UK, link to the Taxi Studies page of the UK Office of Fair Trade with its November 2003 report and appendices
Recommendations for Measuring Taxi Availability for PCN Determination prepared for the San Francisco Taxicab Commission July 2003 by Schaller Consulting.
Taxi Regulation in Japan by David Flath of the Kyoto Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University, June 2002 (63Kb PDF document)
San Francisco Permit Holders versus Taxi Commission, July 2002 California Appellate Court decision affirming the legality of a driving requirement for some medallion holders, with possible exceptions (40k PDF)
US Court of Appeals Opinion of January 2002 in Baily and Dunn vs. Gulf Coast Transportation, regarding Florida taxi drivers who were fired after they sued for minimum wage
February 2002 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association on the effectiveness of workplace homicide prevention measures and advice to regulators on mandated preventive strategies
Taxicab Deregulation and Reregulation in Seattle: Lessons Learned, September 2001 report by Craig Leisy, Manager of the Consumer Affairs Unit for the City of Seattle. From the report: "The City of Seattle regulated rates and entry in the taxicab industry beginning in 1914. The taxicab industry was deregulated in 1979 because it was believed that competition would provide the public with improved service and lower rates. In fact, service quality declined and rates were often higher. Subsequently, the taxicab industry was reregulated starting in 1984. Initially, rate ceilings were established and later a moratorium was placed on issuance of new taxicab licenses. Seattle, like nearly all of the other cities that experimented with deregulation, eventually returned to regulation of entry and rates." Available from the International Association of Transportation Regulators.
Surdell-Kennedy Taxi Ltd. et al. v. City of Surrey, a September 2001 Canadian court decision regarding regulatory authority to conduct licence auctions, and right of personal property, very interesting.
The European OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Working Party No. 2 on Competition and Regulation prepared a report on Regulation and Competition Issues in Road Transport. There is an interesting discussion of the open entry experiments in Seattle (1979) and Indianapolis (1994). (83KB pdf)
Regulated Conduct Defence applies to issuance of taxi licenses - allegations of conspiracy unsubstantiated; The Competition Bureau, Ottawa, May 2, 2000
High Court Judgement In Appeal of Government Issue of Taxi Licences, High Court, Dublin, Ireland in October 2000
Inquest into the Death of Anne Woloshen, Prepared for the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities, September, 2000
Proposition M of 2000, unsuccessful initiative measure seeking to amend the San Francisco Administrative Code
Bill HB1068, an Act Concerning Deregulation of Certain Passenger Transportation, State of Colorado, February 2000
Bill 5 - Kentucky Legislature, An act relating to the transportation of persons for hire, January 2000
Final Report of the Mayor's Taxi Task Force, for San Francisco, April 1998
Paul Dempsey's 1996 article Taxi Industry Regulation, Deregulation & Reregulation: The Paradox of Market Failure (20MB)
1995 Regulations to the Transport Operations Act, Queensland, Australia (PDF)
Section 32 of the UK Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and its companion discussion paper issued under the authority of the DDA95 relative to proposed regulations and specifications for accessible taxicabs in the whole of the UK by the year 2012. This is a key document regarding the change to a fully-accessible taxi fleet in London, now a reality.
San Francisco Superior Court 1995 decision in Joseph Tracy et al. vs. Yellow Cab Cooperative et al. requiring defendant cab companies to return security deposits to drivers, and permanently enjoining companies from challenging driver claims for Workers' Compensation and Unemployment Insurance benefits on the basis of independent contractor status. (3.15MB pdf)
"Analysis of Taxicab Deregulation and Re-Regulation" - This 1993 Price Waterhouse study concludes that, "The effects of taxi deregulation have ranged from benign to adverse. This is a departure from the experience with deregulation in other industries, and is influenced by taxi market imperfections which reduce or remove incentives for price and service quality competition. Consequently, most cities which had fully deregulated taxi service have since reverted to some form of control over market entry." The paper is available on the Colorado.gov website.
An Economic Analysis of Taxicab Regulation, 1984 Bureau of Economics Staff Report by Mark Frankena and Paul Pautler, US Federal Trade Commission; argues in favor of open-entry deregulation. (8.9MB PDF)
Taxicab Regulation in US Cities, Volume II: Case Studies, 1983 report by L. Carol Shaw, Gorman Gilbert, Christine Bishop and Evelyn Pruitt prepared for U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration; summary and link to the full report.
The Tragedy of the Commons by Garrett Hardin (1968) in Science magazine is one of the most-cited articles ever. It's insights remain relevant fifty years later as tens of thousands of "rideshare" vehicles swarm onto city streets around the world.
"The Economic Reasons for Price and Entry Regulation of Taxicabs" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, September 1975, Vol. 9, No. 3, Page 268, by C. Shreiber. "In a free market the charges for taxicabs tend to be high. Regulation in New York City has not been properly designed to achieve economic efficiency; but abolition of the present restriction on entry will increase congestion and pollution and attract more passengers from public transport."
"The Economic Reasons for Price and Entry Regulations of Taxicabs. A Comment" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, September 1977, Vol. 11, No. 3, Page 288, by R.B. Coffman. "A comment on the article in the September 1975 issue of this Journal, with the author's rejoinder."
"The Economic Reasons for Price and Entry Regulation of Taxicabs. A Comment" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, January 1980, Vol. 14, No. 1, Page 105, by D.J. Williams. "A comment on the article and later rejoinder by Professor Shreiber, published in this Journal in September 1975 and September 1977."
"The Economic Reasons for Price and Entry Regulation of Taxicabs: A Rejoinder" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, January 1981, Vol. 15, No. 1, Page 81, by C. Shreiber. "Professor Shreiber, author of the article and later rejoinder published in this Journal in September 1975 and September 1977, replies to the comment by David J. Williams which appeared in January 1980."
"The Impact of Taxicab Deregulation in the USA" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, January 1987, Vol. 21, No. 1, Page 37, by R.F. Teal M. Berglund. "Deregulation of taxicabs in several US cities has not produced the expected benefits. The authors analyse the reasons for this failure, and make suggestions for future policy."
"Price Regulation and Optimal Service Standards: The Taxicab Industry" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, May 1972, Vol. 6, No. 2, Page 116, by G.W. Douglas. "In a market of cruising taxis price competition is impracticable, and service (measured by waiting time) cannot be differentiated by customers' willingness to pay. This article examines the principles governing the setting of efficient prices to attain the maximum use of the service."
"Deregulating Taxi Services: A Word of Caution" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, May 1995, Vol. 29, No. 2, Page 195, by J. Hackner S. Nyberg. "This paper studies pricing and capacity decisions in markets for phone-ordered taxicabs. Firms first choose capacities and then compete in prices. As firm demand increases, so does waiting time. This dampens competition and makes prices too high from the social point of view. Efficiency improves if firms choose large capacities. In a two-firm setting, equilibrium capacities are shown to be larger if both firms maximise total profits than if they maximise profits per cab."
"Technical Efficiency and Ownership: The Case of Booking Centres in the Swedish Taxi Market" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, January 1996, Vol. 30, No. 1, Page 83. J. Mansson. "The study examines competition between privately and publicly owned booking centres in the Swedish taxi market by studying technical efficiency, and breaking down technical efficiency into managerial and organisational efficiency. The main results are that a large amount of technical efficiency exists and that no direct relationship between technical efficiency and type of ownership can be found."
"Economies of Scale in the Taxicab Industry. Some Empirical Evidence from the United States" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, September 1983, Vol. 17, No. 3, Page 299, by A.M. Pagano C.E. McKnight. "There are economies of scale for very small taxicab firms, but over 75,000 trips per year average costs increase, so the curve is U-shaped."
"Labour Costs and Taxi Supply in Melbourne" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, May 1981, Vol. 15, No. 2, Page 179, by D.J. Williams. "The non-progressive taxicab industry survives and may be able to expand because there has been a relative decline in the quality and the real wages of drivers and in the prices of new motor vehicles. Further research is suggested."
"Competition and Supply in London Taxis" in Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, January 1979, Vol. 13, No. 1, Page 102, by M.E. Beesley. "The numbers of London taxis and of licensed drivers have increased in recent years. Drivers are probably attracted by the variety of contracts available. But more information is needed on this and on the competitive hire car trade."
International Association of Transportation Regulators, organization of taxicab regulators
Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association, formerly the ITLA
Institute of Licensing, UK association addresses issues common to all licensing activities
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Part 37 Transportation services for individuals with disabilities, and Part 38 Accessibility specifications for transportation vehicles
Transportation Research Board of the National Academies (US).
District of Columbia Taxicab Commission, includes the city's unique zone map for unmetered fare calculation
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Taxi Home Page including a link to the taxi regulations (Article 1100 of the SF Transportation Code).
National Transport Authority, taxi regulator of Ireland.
Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative and practical solutions to transportation problems, located in Victoria, British Columbia. Tries to identify the full benefits, costs and equity impacts of alternative transportation policies and programs.
All About Special Needs Transportation, by Dr. Ray Turner
How New Zealand Handles Taxi Driver Access Denial
Berkeley (California) Taxicab Regulations, four-page ordinance for a small city open-entry market (472k PDF)
The Institute for Justice favors open-market policies and has litigated cases involving Denver taxis, NYC vans and Las Vegas limos.
Center for Alternative Transportation Research, by Arthur (Pat) Webster; page includes a link to his extraordinary 1998 compilation of taxi-related statistics as a 154-page downloadable PDF document
European Conference of Ministers of Transport, source of a number of relevant documents
International Road Transport Union Accessibility page.
Schaller Consulting, Bruce Schaller offers a wealth of information on NYC's taxi industry.
New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission
New York City rates of fare from the Taxi and Limousine Commission
Index to the New York City taxi regulations on the TLC web site
NYC journalist and attorney Dan Ackman writes often about the taxi industry and the TLC
London current rates of fare from the PCO
SF Municipal Transportation Agency Division of Taxis and Accessible Services, San Francisco taxi regulator from March 2009
Taxi page of the Orange County (California) Transportation Authority
Australian Taxi Industry Association for statistics and publications including taxi rank master plans for individual Australian cities.
Taxi Service Improvements, by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Australia
Victorian Taxi Association, Australia
Taxi section of the New South Wales Ministry of Transport
Manitoba Taxicab Board, taxi regulatory body for Winnipeg
Passenger Transportation Board of British Columbia, Canada
NIST US National Institute for Standards and Technology
Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics
Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, UK
OpenThesis.org has links to many academic works related to taxis.
2018 documents
New York City medallion transfers
Sales and foreclosures are recorded on the Taxi and Limousine Commission website along with nominal medallion prices. The TLC advises that the recorded prices may not reflect actual market conditions.
Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court
The California Supreme Court has established a new test to determine if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. All workers are presumed to be employees unless three conditions are met. The worker must be free from control and direction in the performance of the work, and must perform work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business, and must be engaged in an independently established trade or business. April 2018.
2017 documents
The interactive map accompanying the TNCs Today report shows pick-up and drop-off volumes throughout San Francisco.
California Public Utilities Commission
Throughout 2015-2017 the ongoing TNC proceeding at the California Public Utilities Commission continued to generate filings from dozens of interested parties. Among the hundreds of publicly accessible documents are exhaustive legal discussions of virtually every aspect of Transportation Network Company regulation. The documents are on the CPUC Documents Page for Proceeding R1212011.
2016 documents
2015 documents
Red arrows indicate turn restrictions for private vehicles at intersections along San Francisco's pedestrian-friendly Safer Market Street, August 2015. Taxis retain full access to the busy thoroughfare along with buses, bikes and delivery trucks.
July 2015 pedestrian safety campaign in Asheville, North Carolina.
2014 documents
California Assembly Member Susan Bonilla became the object of negative political ads when she introduced legislation to establish insurance requirements for Uber. Governor Brown signed her legislation, Assembly Bill 2293, into law in September 2014.
In June 2014 the California Public Utilities Commission continued its attempt to regulate TNC "rideshares" by issuing Proposed Modifications which would have strengthened its previous insurance requirements. However the Proposed Modifications were weakened substantially in early July prior to a hearing, and then were not acted upon. The CPUC may revisit TNC insurance in August 2014. Before the July revisions, various parties to the proceeding filed comments and reply comments regarding TNC insurance.
Many states have issued formal notices warning about inadequate insurance in ride services such as those operated by Uber and Lyft. Click on the following links for twenty examples: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
The California Public Utilities Commission issued a Request for Comments on Proposed Modifications to its TNC insurance requirements and other changes on March 25, 2014. Among the responses delivered to the Proceeding Service List in early April are the Initial Comments of:
2013 documents
Internet Advocacy ’Uber’ Alles: What Uber-Fans Accomplished in Boston & What It Means for Urban Democracy & Local Government. This insightful paper by Harvard law school student Molly Cohen is must-read for taxi industry participants who face organized social media campaigns by wealthy elites. Ms. Cohen presented her views at the October 2013 TLPA conference in Boston.
For-hire vehicles include limousines and taxicabs. Regulations for each are challenged by commercial "rideshares" and other taxi-like services that claim exemption from regulation.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
June 11, 2013
Effectiveness of Taxicab Security Equipment in Reducing Driver Homicide Rates
Cammie K. Chaumont Menéndez, PhD, Harlan E. Amandus, PhD, Parisa Damadi, BS, Nan Wu, MS, Srinivas Konda, MPH, Scott A. Hendricks, MS
(Am J Prev Med 2013;45(1):1-8)
From page 5 of the article:
"These data support the hypothesis that installing cameras in taxicabs results in a reduction in citywide taxicab driver homicide rates post-installation (seven times lower homicide rate) and compared to cities with neither cameras nor partitions (three times lower homicide rate). The data do not support the hypothesis that cities with partitions installed in taxicabs experience lower taxicab driver homicide rates than cities with neither cameras nor partitions. This is the first study to methodically collect data from a nationally representative sample of the largest taxicab cities over a 15-year time span that allows for comparison of rates pre- and post-installation of cameras."
See also a related article by the same authors "Cities with camera-equipped taxicabs experience reduced taxicab driver homicide rates: United States, 1996 - 2010"
Unregulated Lyft "moustache cabs" wait for fares in front of licensed taxis at a San Francisco hotel.
The California Public Utilities Commission conducted a Rulemaking Proceeding on "Regulations Relating to Passenger Carriers, Ridesharing, and New Online-Enabled Transportation Services" from December 2012 to September 2013.
The process focused on public safety and innovation regarding companies such as Uber, Lyft, Tickengo (now Wingz), and Sidecar (now defunct). The Commission decided to create a new class of for-hire service called "Transportation Network Companies" and established rules on September 19, 2013.
Filings included the CPUC's Order Instituting Rulemaking and the formal comments of:
Many additional comments and replies from the various parties are available under the Documents tab on the Proceeding Details page of the CPUC web site.
Spoof of taxi hailing apps, many of which require a separate screen dedicated exclusively to that app.
2012 documents
Graphic for the Cabwise app from Transport for London.
Map of taxi depots (service providers) in the country area surrounding Melbourne, Victoria in Australia.
"He's my best friend and he's my hero" said Sheree Kerner of her brother, New Orleans taxicab driver William L. Kerner IV. His death in a May 2011 robbery led to passage of SB 639 which elevated the killing of a taxicab driver to first-degree murder in Louisiana.
Reports of special interest from Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates
2011 documents
Special Report: Greening Taxis in Latin America
Presentations from the Expert Group Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, May 2011 on Sustainable Urban Transport: Policy Options for Modernizing and Greening Taxi Fleets in Latin American Cities. The meeting generated a wealth of information from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador and Mexico. The presentations also cover a wide range of topics including electric taxis in China, solar-powered bicycle taxis in Germany, motorized rickshaws in India, and greening in California and Korea.
Rate of fare as displayed in San Francisco taxicabs, September 2011.
2010 documents
Haiti "Cash for Work" Employee Relies on Tap-Tap Taxi -- A local supervisor for "Cash for Work", an initiative launched by the United Nations Development Programme in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake, relies on a tap-tap, a shared taxi, to take her home from work. Haiti has an almost non-existent public transportation system. Many people depend on the privately-owned tap-taps for transportation even though they are often overloaded, mechanically unsound, and driven unsafely.
Deputy Director of Taxi Services Chris Hayashi (left) and MTA Executive Director Nat Ford (right) look on as seller Mildred Megarity transfers her taxi medallion to buyer Ahmad Sidaoui on August 4, 2010. It was the first sale of a taxi medallion in San Francisco for 33 years. See more photos and a write-up on Ed Healy's blog. Photo courtesy of Ed Healy.
2009 documents
Seatbelt reminder from the City of Auburn in New South Wales
2008 documents
Rural Development Programme Beneficiary -- A taxi entrepreneur and beneficiary of the Grameen Bank project for poverty eradication through micro credit lending, waits for a fare.
2007 documents
Controller Reports and Ballot Measures have played a large role in the San Francisco cab business between the late 1970s and 2017. Following are links to controller reports as well as summaries of eleven taxi-related matters that have been placed before the voters along with links to the full text of each.
A 2000 campaign mailer - click here for a larger version.
San Francisco Controller's reports
San Francisco Ballot Measures 1978 - 2007
Taxi regulation in San Francisco was heavily influenced by a corporate meltdown in 1976 that led to a year of scarce taxi service and a controversial permit-trading deal in City Hall. See Taxis and SF Labor History for a brief summary of the crisis. In the wake of the crisis, a pair of competing taxi reform measures appeared on the ballot submitted to voters in 1978. Proposition K won with almost 51% of the vote. "Prop K" has shaped every aspect of the taxi business since that time.
The voters have been asked to revisit the issue numerous times since 1978. Propositions D in 1998 and A in 2007 won approval, while eight other propositions lost.
All the documents in this section are extracts from the ballot handbooks mailed to voters prior to the elections. They are in PDF format with file size under 1MB except as noted.
Courtesy of Dennis Kiernan. See a larger version of this campaign ad.
Courtesy of Dennis Kiernan. See a
larger version of this campaign ad.
Reports of special interest from Schaller Consulting in NYC
These and others are available courtesy of Bruce Schaller at Taxi and Livery Papers and Reports
2006 documents
San Francisco City Hall
As in most places, SF taxis are regulated by city government.
This attention-getting poster, issued by the South Somerset District Council, is part of a public safety campaign in England to warn cab users about the dangers of riding in unlicensed cabs during the 2006 holiday season. The national campaign is dubbed Taxiwise. The Mayor of London is leading the Cabwise program which facilitates getting a legal taxi or minicab with the help of text messaging. The Taxiwise and Cabwise programs are endorsed by celebrities and are receiving a high level of press attention throughout the UK.
2005 documents
Birmingham UK public safety campaign
Sheriff's Citizen's Medal awarded posthumously to Tuscon, Arizona taxicab driver Dawud Isa Abusida who lost his life when he stopped to assist an officer in trouble on August 10, 2005.
2004 documents
San Francisco voters received this campaign mailer regarding Proposition N of 2003, an unsuccessful initiative measure.
2003 documents
Minibus taxis are a key part of the South African transport system.
2002 documents
2001 documents
During the 1930s fierce competition drove down prices and resulted in flat rate fares like this one -- 25 cents to anyplace in Regina, Saskatchewan
2000 documents
pre-2000 documents
Flag atop a Tokyo taxi indicates to prospective customers that a discount rate of fare is in effect
Journal of Transport Economics and Policy
These documents from the Journal of Transport Economics and Policy are available on the JTEP index and summary page of free articles through 1996. Many of the articles published in the journal are of special interest to readers with a strong background in math.
Taxi inspection facility of the Public Carriage Office, London.
Links to regulators, industry groups and similar sites
Classification of Regular and Secure Taxi Ranks in Sydney
[ Back to top ]